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Nearly three months after changing its name from 9mobile to T2, the telecom operator is still losing customers at an alarming rate, with official data showing that close to 3,000 subscribers abandoned the network between August and October 2025.
Latest figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission’s Mobile Number Portability records show that 2,725 subscribers left T2 during the three-month period, while only 61 users moved into the network. This left the operator with a net loss of 2,664 customers, raising fresh concerns about whether the rebrand has translated into better customer experience.
A closer look at the data shows that 1,111 subscribers ported out of T2 in August, 724 left in September, and another 890 exited in October 2025. These customers switched to rival networks while keeping their phone numbers, a process that reflects dissatisfaction rather than number churn.
October was particularly damaging for the operator. Of the 1,597 subscribers who left all mobile networks that month, T2 alone accounted for 890 exits—more than half of the total. In comparison, Airtel lost 289 subscribers, Globacom 193, and MTN 225 during the same period. The figures underline how heavily the customer losses are concentrated around T2.
The trend was not new and did not begin with the rebrand. From the start of 2025, T2 consistently recorded the highest number of outgoing ports in the industry. In January alone, 6,716 subscribers left the network. This was followed by 3,817 exits in February, 1,992 in March, 5,042 in April, 3,863 in May, and 3,372 in June.
Although the pace of exits slowed slightly in the second half of the year, the numbers remained significant. Another 646 subscribers left in July, before the 1,111 exits in August, 724 in September and 890 in October. Taken together, these figures show a steady flow of customers walking away from the network month after month.
The incoming numbers paint an even starker picture. While thousands were leaving, very few were joining. In October 2025, only 26 subscribers ported into T2 from other networks. By contrast, MTN attracted 937 new port-ins during the same month, Airtel gained 357, and Globacom welcomed 277.
The pattern was similar in previous months. Only 20 subscribers joined T2 in September and 15 in August. This trend has continued since January, with MTN consistently recording the highest number of incoming ports across the industry. Overall, between January and October 2025, a total of 28,173 subscribers ported out of T2, while just 87 customers joined the network in the same period.
Mobile Number Portability allows subscribers to switch networks without changing their phone numbers, and the NCC’s monthly data is widely seen as a clear indicator of customer satisfaction and service quality in the telecoms sector. Persistent losses in this category suggest that branding alone may not be enough to retain or attract users.
In August 2025, it was reported that 9mobile officially rebranded to T2 as part of a broader effort to revive its market position, expand its reach and compete more effectively in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital economy. The rebrand represented the “Transformation” phase of a four-stage recovery plan—Stabilisation, Modernisation, Transformation and Growth—introduced after the company was acquired in 2023 by Lighthouse Telecoms, led by businessman and investor Thomas Etuh.
Since the takeover, the operator has made several strategic moves. It reshaped its leadership team, reconstituted its board and, in July 2025, signed a landmark three-year national roaming agreement with MTN Nigeria. The deal allows T2 subscribers to roam seamlessly on MTN’s nationwide network, improving coverage and service quality in areas where T2’s own infrastructure had been weak.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, welcomed the rebrand at the time but stressed that it must deliver real benefits to users.
“Let this rebrand be more than a change of colours or new logo,” he said, calling for a “renewed commitment to innovation, to service excellence and to the millions of Nigerians whose lives and businesses depend on your network every single day.”
By September 2025, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc also secured regulatory approval to lease spectrum from T2 Mobile Limited, formerly 9mobile. The agreement, which took effect from October 1, 2025, covers 5 MHz in the 900 MHz band and 15 MHz in the 1800 MHz band for an initial three-year period. MTN said the arrangement would help it manage increased traffic from T2 customers and support broader digital inclusion.
Despite these partnerships and regulatory backing, NCC data shows that T2 continued to lead the industry in subscriber exits throughout the year, suggesting that restoring customer trust may take more than a new name and strategic alliances.
